Former WWE Champion and Jungle Cruise star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to social media on Wednesday night with a powerful eight-minute speech offering his support for the Black Lives Matter movement while also criticizing the US’ current administration over how they’ve handled the ongoing protests. Throughout the speech he repeatedly echoed the phrase “Where are you?” in reference to how President Donald Trump had retreated to the White House bunker amidst the protest.
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“Where are you? Where is our leader? Where are you? Where’s our leader at this time when our country is down on its knees begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out just wanting to be heard?” Johnson began. “Begging and pleading for change? Where are you? Where is our compassionate leader?”
“There is military force that has been deployed on our own people. Looters? Yes. Criminals? Absolutely. But on protesters, who are begging and pleading?” he later added. “On protesters who are in pain? You know, you would be surprised how people in pain would respond when you say to them, ‘I care about you.’ When you say to them, ‘I’m listening to you.’”
He added: “Of course, all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees…we must say the words: Black lives matter.”
Johnson then called for citizens to hold themselves accountable and become their own sources of leadership.
“We must become the leaders we are looking for,” he said. “I’ll ask it one more time: Where are you? Where is that compassionate leader who steps up and takes accountability for his country and all the people in our country? Where are you? I’ll tell you what, we’re here. We’re all here. The process to change has already begun. You can feel it across our country. Change is happening. It’s going to take time. We’re going to get beat up. We’re going to take our lumps. There’s going to be blood, but the process of change has already begun.”
By Thursday morning the video had seven million views on Instagram and two million views on Twitter.
